A new design method for soft X-ray multilayers is presented. The method utilizes a recurrence formula for the complex amplitude reflectance of a multilayer and its graphical representation in the Gaussian plane. The design procedure gives a clear insight into the evolution of the complex amplitude reflectance of a multilayer at every stage of the deposition as the multilayer builds up. The thickness of each layer is optimized layer by layer so as to attain the highest possible reflectance for a given set of coating materials with the minimum number of layers. Some examples are given to demonstrate the usefulness of the present method in the design of multilayer elements for soft X-rays.